Cinnamon and cherry swirl traybake

Cinnamon and cherry swirl traybake. Photograph: Harry Weir Photography
Cinnamon and cherry swirl traybake. Photograph: Harry Weir Photography
Serves: 6
Course: Dessert
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Prep Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 600g strong flour
  • 14g dried yeast
  • 70g caster sugar
  • 85g unsalted butter
  • 270ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • For the filling:
  • 50g melted unsalted butter
  • 160g brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • For the topping:
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp crème de cassis
  • 4 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp glace cherries
  • To serve:
  • Icing sugar, to dust on top
  1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and add the caster sugar and yeast. Mix together until evenly distributed. Rub the butter into the mixture so it resembles breadcrumbs. Gently heat the milk until it is warm. If heating in a pan, you want it to reach a point where it’s just starting to produce steam. Add the milk, vanilla and egg to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough together for six minutes. It will be sticky at first, but it will soon come together. Once kneaded, it will be springy to touch, and not sticky.
  2. Transfer into a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the top of the bowl with cling film. Let it rise for two hours, or until it doubles in size. While the dough is proving, whisk together the light brown sugar and ground cinnamon for the filling.
  3. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, and roll out to a large rectangle. Gently brush the surface with the 40g of melted butter, and then sprinkle over the sugar/cinnamon mix. Roll the dough from long side to long side, so that a long cylindrical shape is formed. Cut this evenly into six pieces.
  4. Using a large rectangular baking dish, place the rolls in it and cover the dish with cling film, and let them rise for another hour or so. By the end, they should all be touching. Towards the end of the dough rising, preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
  5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
  6. Leave to cool, and then make the icing. Whisk together the icing sugar, crème de cassis and water until a light icing paste is formed, and then spread this over the rolls. Toss the glace cherries on top and garnish with a sprinkling of icing sugar.
Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O'Keefe

Gráinne O’Keefe is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. She is chef-patron of the Dublin restaurant Mae